Korean coloratura Sumi Jo has impressive credentials/ Banker Uy wins piano prizes

Korean Sumi Jo, one of today’s great singers and considered the most popular Asian soprano in opera, will sing on Feb. 1 at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura, Bonifacio Global City of Taguig, for the benefit of the Visayas’  typhoon victims.

Described by Maestro Herbert Von Karajan of the Berlin Philharmonic as “The Voice from Above,” the coloratura is known for her bel canto interpretations.

She has sung in the world’s major opera houses. Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera House, Salzburg Festspielhaus, Vienna State Opera, to name a few.

Her 2013-14 schedule includes Lucia in Strasbourg, Barcelona, Berlin and Paris;

La sonnambula in Brussels and Santiago, Chile; I Capuleti e i Montecchi with the Minnesota Opera; Olympia and Rosina in New York; the Queen of the Night in Los Angeles; Gilda in Bilbao, Oviedo, Bologna, Trieste, and Detroit among others; Il turco in Italia in Spain; L’enfant et les sortileges in Boston and Pittsburgh; Le comte Ory in Rome; Dinorah in NY.

Sumi Jo also appeared at the Theatre du Chatelet, Theatre des Champs-Élysées, Opéra National de Paris, Washington Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera Australia and the Teatro Colon.

She has sung with the Vancouver Symphony, the Cincinnati Pops, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Vancouver Symphony the Vienna, London and Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

She has collaborated with such prestigious conductors as Sir Georg Solti, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, James Levine, Kent Nagano, and Richard Bonynge. She has given solo recitals throughout Europe, the US, Canada and Australia.

The much sought-after Najib Ismail will be her assisting artist in Manila.

She has received the International Puccini Award, Korean Award, “Artist for Peace” of UNESCO, Best Vocal Album by French Cultural Critics, the Best Selling Album of the Year award by British Classic and the Order of Culture Merit of South Korea. To bring classic music to the young, Sumi Jo ventured into cross over by providing the voice of ‘Veda Pierce’ in the HBO miniseries ‘Mildred Pierce’. She also sang the theme song for “Nine Gates” starring Johnny Depp, and numerous Korean movies and teleseries. A winner of the Grammy Award for her recordings, Sumi Jo has over 50 recordings including ten solo albums.

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Ryan Uy, a piano student of Anthony Say, will give a recital on Feb. 16 at the St. Cecilia Hall, St. Scholastica, Manila. He  will be performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto with Arturo Molina conducting the Manila Symphony Orchestra. Uy will also be playing solo works: Bach’s Italian Concerto, Beethoven’s The Tempest Sonata, Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 and Buenaventura’s Emotions No. 3.

Uy had little formal training in piano and mostly taught himself to play his favorite classical pieces. During college, he decided to take up formal piano lessons with Anthony Say. Through his guidance, Uy became a prize winner in the PTGP Romantic and Filipino competition 2009 and in the PTGP’s 20th Century Piano Competition entitled Soundscapes in 2011. He also won the Premyo Tiklado award for Best Filipino Piece in Soundscapes for Category C. Lorenzo Medel was his fellow awardee in Category B. Through Say, Uy was also able to learn from his piano idols: Mary Anne Espina, Aries Cases, Raul Sunico, Reynaldo Reyes and Father Manuel Maramba.

Currently, Uy is a full-time banker. He very much enjoys his job, but continues to keep his passion for music. Just recently, he joined the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA), becoming a regional semi-finalist.

His goal is for musicians and non-musicians alike to learn and appreciate classical music. In turn, he hopes they will continue to support other classical artists in the future, and attend his recital which is free to the public. With Uy’s unusual musical background, it should be a fascinating event.

The latest on Sonny, Cecile

Appreciation for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon for his leadership in creating the 100 billion fund for Climate Change was expressed by former Senator and DENR Secretary now Climate Change Commissioner, Heherson Alvarez, after a joint press conference of the UN Chief with DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario,

Cecile Guidote-Alvarez of dzrh, also a UNESCO Artist for Peace, thanked the UN Secretary-General for his presence as a gift of compassion, hope and generosity of the UN family, as well as his crucial support for the integration of culture in sustainable development. This is led by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova who is supporting cultural caregiving for psycho-social needs of Typhoon Yolanda victims.